The objective of the proposed Cornell University Veterinary Investigator Program is to provide veterinary students with an opportunity to engage in hypothesis-based biomedical research during the formative stages of their education. Veterinarians have much to contribute to scientific discovery in medical disciplines given that an education in veterinary medicine is inherently wide-ranging and comparative. Veterinary students are trained to integrate medical literature from a variety of sources encompassing the full array of animal species and to use problem solving approaches to evaluate disease pathogenesis and therapeutic strategies, ranging from molecular mechanisms to whole animal phenotypes. As such, an education in veterinary medicine provides a solid and broad foundation upon which to develop a focused area of scientific expertise. The goal of this proposal is to help veterinary students discover this synergy and to enhance their interest in biomedical research. The Veterinary Investigator Program will center on trainees working full-time in a research laboratory for a 10-week period during the summer after their first or second year of veterinary school. The trainees will conduct experiments with the guidance and direct supervision of a faculty mentor and will actively engage in all other laboratory activities. The trainees also will participate in several enrichment activities, including: 1) team building leadership ropes course 2) weekly lunch seminars on Current and Emerging Research Techniques, Grant Writing, Scientific Ethics and developing a scientific poster. In addition, the trainees will attend the Annual Center for Vertebrate Genomics Symposium and the Merial-NIH Symposium at which they will present their research, and at the conclusion of the program will deliver a final researc presentation to the Cornell program participants and mentors. Structured time outside of the laboratory, however, will not exceed two hours in any given week to ensure that the trainees have adequate time to devote to a meaningful research project. The admissions process at the Cornell Veterinary College provides a bonus to those who express an in research, thereby enriching the classes with budding researchers. The Veterinary Investigator Program will help fulfill this promise, and tap into the deep pool of potential biomedical researchers who are attracted to the Cornell College of Veterinary Medicine. Ultimately, the Veterinary Investigator Program will provide ten interested students per year an opportunity to avail themselves of the wide range of superb faculty and resources at Cornell University, with the expectation that such an experience will motivate them to pursue a career that includes rigorous scientific inquiry.